Recent studies reveal a significant increase in water bead-related emergency department visits, which surged 130% between 2021 and 2022. This uptick underscores the need for increased awareness surrounding what water beads are, and teaching parents and children preventive measures to limit the number of preventable injuries.
What are Water Beads?
Water beads, also marketed under names like water gel beads, gel beads, or jelly beads, are tiny superabsorbent polymers designed to soak up and retain large amounts of water.
Originally marketed for uses like floral arranging, crafts, and even as a water-saving tool in gardening, water beads have gained popularity as sensory toys for children and as ammunition for toy gel-blaster guns. A common brand of water beads marketed as a children’s toy is Orbeez®. Brands like Orbeez are sold for children to use as play objects, absorbing water to transform into squishy, colorful beads that can be manipulated for tactile sensory experiences.
The Dangers of Water Beads
Water beads might look harmless, but they pose serious health risks. Over half of all water bead-related emergency department visits result from children swallowing the beads.
“While water beads look like harmless toys, they can pose very serious and dangerous risks to children,” says Graham Tse, M.D., chief medical officer, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach. “If ingested, water gel beads can cause severe injury, especially to children under the age of 5. Common water bead injuries we see within our emergency room include intestinal blockage, throat obstruction, and ear, nose, and eye injuries.”
The bright colors and familiar size and shape of water beads make them easily mistakeable for candy or boba. In their dehydrated form, water beads can be as small as the size of a pinhead, making them hard to find if they are dropped on the floor. This poses an increased risk for infants and children under 5.
“Issues with water-beads is on the rise as these toys are becoming more popular,” says Jennifer Rodriguez, injury prevention coordinator, Injury Prevention Program, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach. “As babies begin to crawl on the floor, they start to explore their environment by placing small objects in their mouths. We’ve started to see this problem with water beads come up more often in our infant CPR classes.”
Ingesting water beads can lead to a range of serious complications, including choking, vomiting, dehydration, and abdominal pain. If swallowed, the beads can absorb water and swell inside the digestive tract, leading to dangerous intestinal blockages. In severe cases, these blockages may require emergency surgery to remove.
“Water beads are also notoriously difficult to spot on x-rays, making intestinal blockage trickier to detect than other water bead-related injuries,” says Dr. Tse.
Even outside of ingestion risks, children may insert beads into their ears or noses, where they can expand and damage tissues. Approximately 33% of water bead-related ER visits involve ear injuries, while nose injuries make up about 12%, and eye injuries account for 9%. Such injuries may require intervention or surgery if the bead cannot be removed safely.
“If your child ingested a water bead, or has one stuck in their nose or ear, call your child’s primary care physician to determine if you need to take them to the nearest emergency room,” says Rodriguez. “However, if your child is choking, administer CPR and call 911 immediately.”
What Treatment Options are There?
If you suspect your child may have ingested a water bead, it’s important to seek medical evaluation as soon as possible to determine what treatment is required.
For families facing emergencies due to water bead injuries, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital partners with Long Beach Medical Center’s Emergency Department and is specially designated by Los Angeles County as an Emergency Department Approved for Pediatrics (EDAP). This designation means that pediatric-trained specialists are on hand to treat children in emergencies, providing expert care and timely responses to get young patients feeling better as quickly as possible.
Treatment for ingested water beads will vary depending on the severity, amount, and location of the ingestion. If the beads cannot be located on an X-ray, an MRI may be required to determine the location and number of beads ingested. If the side effects of the ingestion become life-threatening, emergency surgery may be required to remove the beads.
A mineral oil enema may sometimes help pass the beads through the digestive tract for intestinal blockages. In cases where beads become lodged in the ear or nose and can’t be removed non-surgically, surgery may be necessary. Delay in removing lodged beads can lead to permanent damage, such as hearing loss.
Children’s surgical needs are different than that of adults, therefore Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Surgical Center is designated just for kids with an expert surgical care team specially trained to care for children. The Surgical Center is designed with children in mind, where the children wait for surgery in a pre-op playroom, complete with Child Life specialists who help ease anxieties about the future procedure by explaining it through medical play in words that are age appropriate. In addition, the Surgical Center is designed so a child going into surgery will never see another child who has just left surgery while they are still under anesthesia to minimize fears.
In cases where water bead-related injuries require surgical intervention – whether due to ingestion, ear, or nasal blockage – the surgical center is prepared to deliver timely, precise, and minimally invasive care.
How Can I Prevent Water Bead-Related Injuries?
The best way to ensure that your child is safe from the risks of water beads is to remove all water beads from your home, especially for those children under 5 who may not have learned not to put these sorts of things in their mouth. It’s also valuable to teach older siblings the responsibility if they do have these toys, the value of picking up after themselves, and helping them understand the effects it can have on their younger sibling if they put water beads in their mouth.
“Just avoid them if you have children under 5,” says Rodriguez. “Don’t buy toys that have them inside and do your best to keep them out of your home. It’s also a good idea to have a conversation with friends, family, or anyone who watches after your child about the dangers of water beads, and kindly advise them against giving any gifts that include water beads.”
Rodriguez also highlights the importance of supervision in injury and choking prevention and how close supervision isn’t always possible in childcare facilities. If your child spends time at a childcare facility with water beads, initiate a conversation with them about the safety risks of these toys, and suggest some safer alternatives.
Opting for larger sensory toys, such as pop tubes, slinkies, and foam blocks can provide sensory input while being safe for babies. For older toddlers, parents may opt for Play-Doh or kinetic sand, both options are non-toxic however supervision is always recommended as they can still be a choking hazard if ingested.
Where Can I Get More Information?
The Injury Prevention Program at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital is dedicated to educating parents and providing necessary information to keep children and families safe. Through community outreach and education resources, such as free infant CPR classes, the program emphasizes early prevention to reduce avoidable emergencies. Injury prevention specialists offer guides for caregivers on toy safety, especially during the holiday season, stressing the importance of supervision and avoiding small objects that can be ingested or lodged in children’s airways.
For more information on helping create a safer environment for children to explore, or if you have any questions, please contact the injury prevention team at (562) 933-9151 or [email protected].
